The Case Against High Stakes Testing

The Case Against High Stakes Testing (Updated January 2017)

These materials make the case against relying on test scores to make important educational decisions about students or schools - what is called “high-stakes testing.” Common examples include making a child repeat a grade or withholding a student’s high-school diploma solely based on their score on a test, or relying on test scores to decide whether a teacher or school should be sanctioned or rewarded.

A large body of evidence exists against using standardized tests for such decisions. New evidence is being collected as states and district continue to use tests for such purposes. This page presents arguments and evidence to help you build a case against high-stakes testing in your own community. FairTest also has materials on better forms of assessment at http://fairtest.org/k-12/authentic%20assessment.

Fact Sheets

FairTest has Fact Sheets on many testing-related topics. See them at http://www.fairtest.org/fact%20sheets. Many have bibliographies that provide more detailed evidence about the damage caused by the overuse and misuse of standardized tests.

The Case for Authentic Assessment explains how other assessments and accountability systems can report on school progress and student achievement without resulting in the negative outcomes found under high-stakes testing